Why She Saved Him
by Jules-Millicent
Summary: Buckbeaks attack on Draco was worse than anyone remembers. Only Hermione knows what truly happened. Can she just leave him there on the ground. Based on scene where Hermione has no sweater and her time-turner is showing.


The sun was bright, but clouds were rolling in. Perhaps it will rain later Hermione thought as she raced towards her least favorite class on her hectic schedule. She had asked Professor Dumbledore if she could take something else instead of Care of Magical Creatures; but the request was denied. He explained that every good witch and wizard have a basic knowledge of all the magical creatures in the wizarding world.

Being the logical girl that she was understood the principle about having students take this class. It wasn't that she hated the subject, she didn't want Hagrid as her teacher. Now she really cared for the half giant; but his lack of knowing whether a creature was dangerous, didn't settle well with Hermione.

Her fears materialized as she joined the rest of her classmates and in front of them was a giant male hippogriff. "He can't be serious that this is the first animal he is going to teach us about?" she whispered to herself.

"Sir how do we open the text book? Every time I try to open it, the book barks and tries to bite me," Neville asked in a meek tone.

"Are ye all having trouble?" Hagrid asked. Everyone raised their hand and nodded, even Harry, who tried his hardest not to upset his friend.

"I thought that it was simple and fun, ye need to pet his binding, he's gotta know you mean no harm," Hagrid said as he took Neville's book and showed the class.

Hermione looked around, everyone, including the Slytherin's were following Hagrid's instruction. Draco was tentatively brushing his fingers down the binding. Hermione was surprised, perhaps he actually wanted to do well in this class.

"Ye won't be needing yer books today," Hagrid said regaining the attention of everyone. "If ye could make a semi-circle, yes just like that. This here is Buckbeak, can anyone tell me what kind of animal he is?" Hagrid asked with a smile so large plastered over his face.

"Can anyone tell me what kind of animal he is?" Draco sneered, to the few people that surrounded him.

Hermione frowned, maybe she was wrong, and perhaps he was just a git. She looked over at him, "Godric, Malfoy grow up," she said as she raised her hand to answer.

Draco glared at Hermione, he hated how she always thought she was so much better than everyone. She is such a know- it- all bint. Though he could feel his ears burn in embarrassment, for his behavior.

"Er-mione, yes" Hagrid called.

"Buckbeak is a Hippogriff, a carnivore and extremely dangerous until tamed. They build nests like birds when they are breeding, but their nests on the ground. Their gestational period is very short an egg can hatch in 24 hours, and are capable of flight within a week of birth," Hermione said. She smiled to herself, she had found another magical creature book over the summer and read it all, so she would know what to expect in class.

"Excellent Er-Mione! Now who wants to be the first to ride Buckbeak?" Hagrid said looking eagerly at his students.

Everyone had taken a giant step back simultaneously.

"Didn't Hermione just say they are very dangerous?" Lavender Brown asked timidly.

"That's only if they aren't tamed," Hagrid said, he patted Buckbeaks side then began to stroke his long feathery neck. "Buckbeak is very gentle once he gets to know ye."

Harry looked around, no one else was volunteering, and he swallowed his fear and stepped forward. He owed so much to Hagrid, Harry couldn't let Hagrid fail on his first day.

"How do I get him to not kill me Hagrid?" Harry asked as he stood next to Hagrid.

Hagrid showed him how to greet Buckbeak, Harry followed suit and soon Buckbeak returned the gesture. Harry petted Buckbeaks neck has Hagrid had done and then climbed onto his back. Buckbeak took to the sky's, with Harry yelling in excitement as they flew off over the lake.

The class had separated into Gryffindor's and Slytherin's sitting apart from each other.

"Salazzar, Potter has been gone for nearly twenty minutes, and we are doing nothing. This class is utterly pointless," Draco said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Ron said. "I'd like to see you try to do what Harry is doing!"

"Ron, don't stoop to his level," Hermione said. However as much as she despised to agree with Malfoy, he was right. Hagrid should've realized that the entire class couldn't all be riding Buckbeak at the same time, he should've had something else planned.

Finally Harry returned. "Hagrid that was incredible!" Harry said as he slid off Buckbeaks back.

"Alright who's next?" Hagrid asked.

"That would be me," Draco said as he stood up and stood next to Hagrid.

Hermione watched him with bow like Hagrid had instructed; perhaps he really wanted to just ride Buckbeak. He seemed to really want to learn the proper procedure. From Hermione's perspective Draco wasn't trying to do anything to upset Buckbeak.

Hermione realized that she was staring at Malfoy for longer than she needed to. She blinked and went to pay attention to what Ron was doing; but he was doing what she had been just doing, staring at Malfoy. Though he had a frown on his face, while she had a worried expression. The class became quiet as they tried to listen to what Malfoy was saying Buckbeak.

'This is very easy,' Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to hear him. 'I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it… I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?' he said to the Hippogriff. 'Are you, you great ugly brute?'

Suddenly Buckbeak stood on his hind legs and in an instant was stamping on Malfoy.

The class screamed, and Hagrid tried to pull Buckbeak off of Malfoy, but it was too late. Malfoy laid motionless on the ground.

Hermione looked around as she heard Pansy Parkinson scream in horror.

Hermione had to do something! Making sure no one was looking Hermione rushed behind a tree, quickly pulled off her robes and held her time- turner in her hands. How was she going to get her past self out of the way, so she won't create horrible consequences? Hermione thought for a moment, she'd have to go back far enough in time where she will force her past self to stay in the castle. Nodding to herself the plan that she had just conceived, she spun the time-turner once to give herself an hour before Malfoy's doom.

The landscape spun around her, and she soon found herself in the hallway outside the DADA classroom, she would be exiting that class any minute. What was she going to make her stay behind?

Thinking quickly she pulled off her sweater and transfigured it into a piece of parchment, using her wand as a pen she wrote a note to Professor Lupin stating: _Ms. Hermione Granger is to go to the hospital wing immediately after class, she has something that she needs to do there. Once there please have her wait outside. TIME is of the essence. Please make sure she sees this note. Thank you, Minerva._

Hermione hoped it was believable and vague enough for past Hermione to understand and have Professor Lupin not, only Dumbledore and McGonagall knew she was in possession of a time-turner. She folded it and sent the note under the door, charming it to fly to Professor Lupin.

Hermione leaned against the wall as she waited for class to be dismissed and began to contemplate why she was caring so much about Malfoy.

"Well" she began to reason with herself. Despite that fact that he is an awful git, he doesn't deserve to die. However he shouldn't have insulted Buckbeak, Hagrid told him how to behave, and he purposefully called the poor creature names. However he didn't start doing that, he really wanted to know how and succeed. His stupid ego got the best of him. He and Harry are always trying to one up each other. She found it tiresome. But does that mean he should die?

Hermione heard the classroom door open, and the students filed out of the room, she watched as past Hermione looked around, holding her note in her hand and sped off in the direction of the hospital wing. Hermione gave a sigh of relief, so far so good.

Everything was just as it was before.

"Where are your robes?" Ron asked her.

"None of your concern," she replied. A bit harshly, but she needed to pay attention to every detail.

Soon Harry had just landed after riding Buckbeak.

This was it, she watched as Malfoy, strutted up to Buckbeak. She was holding her breath as she watched him repeat his previous actions.

Hermione called out to him "Make sure you don't insult him Malfoy, he his actually dangerous."

Malfoy turned and sneered at her "Again I repeat since you can't seem to grasp this concept, no one asked for your opinion Mudblood." With that, he turned his focus back on Buckbeak.

"Don't waste your breath on him Hermione," Harry said.

Hermione fought back angry tears, reminding herself that she was not doing this because she cared for Malfoy, but you don't deserve to die just because you are a selfish prat.

It was happening as it had before, how was she going to stop Buckbeak from trampling him to death? She watched him bow once again. This time she noticed that he turned and winked in her and Harry's direction. Draco was trying to get under Harry's skin.

Turning back towards Buckbeak "This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it… I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said as he reached out towards the Hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

Hermione saw Buckbeak back up to rise on his legs again, without thinking of what others will think she pushed through the crowd of students, shoving them out of her way and shouted "Run Draco!"

Malfoy looked up and noticed that Buckbeak was about to attack him. Draco began to stagger away, tripping on his robes he fell to the ground. With her wand at her side Hermione sent a quick Protego on him, it was weak, though. She had only just begun to learn about them. Was this going to be enough?

Malfoy lay on the ground his arm protecting his face, you could hear his muffled screams through his robe. Hagrid finally got Buckbeak off of him, quicker than last time, by throwing him some fish to eat.

Malfoy pulled his arm away from his face and was gripping it with the other. He was crying in pain "I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled, as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

"You're not dead Malfoy, get up!" Harry yelled. Harry was sure that he was faking it, just to get attention, but Hermione knew better.

Malfoy cried in pain. Hermione could see that he was trying very hard not to burst into tears at the pain. His shoulder appeared to be crushed, his whole left arm was broken. She could see the scrapes that were all over his face, she could see the blood that was dripping from his forehead.

She took charge of the situation, pulling Hagrid out of his shock. "Hagrid he needs to be taken to the hospital wing right now!"

"Oh, of course, right ye are Hermione. Okay, here we go" Hagrid said as he gathered Malfoy in his hands, which made Malfoy look like a rag doll.

The whole class followed Hagrid back up to the castle. Most of the Gryffindor's went back to the dorms, some Slytherin's followed Hagrid to the hospital wing, while others also returned to their dormitories.

"Are you coming Hermione?" Ron asked her.

"No, I have to see if he is all right," Hermione said.

"Why?" Harry asked a furrowing his brow.

"Because it is the right thing to do! He could've died Harry!" Hermione huffed as she marched away.

As she neared the Hospital wing Hermione looked around she knew that time was about to meet up again. She suddenly felt the rushing sensation of being reacquainted with herself.

She watched from the doors as Hagrid placed Malfoy's helpless body on a bed and Madam Pomfrey fussed over him. Madam Pomfrey rushed everyone out of the hospital wing, she needed to work without a swarm of students around. Madam Pomfrey had a few words for Hagrid as well, she called the headmaster down to talk with him. Dumbledore took Hagrid with him back to his office. Hermione hoped that Hagrid wasn't going to get into too much trouble.

From her hiding spot, she could clearly see Draco. Once everyone left he burst into full tears. "It hurts so badly," he cried in real agonizing pain.

Hermione wiped tears from her eyes. She told herself that it was because no one deserved to die in such a tragic way, and she would tell anyone, if they could know her secret, that she would have done it for anyone in the class.

Yet, she wasn't sure if she was being honest with herself. She wasn't sure if she would have done it for Crabbe or Goyle or some other Slytherin. Certainly not Parkinson. No Malfoy was different, she wasn't sure why, or how she knew that, but she did, and that was enough for her to go back and save his life.


End file.
